Culinary apparatus



May 3, 1927.

. F. DowNs CULINARY APPARATUS Filed Aug. l0, 1925 WWW Patented May 3, 1927.-

UNITED STATESl CHARLES F. DOWNS, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

CULINARY APPARATUS.

Application led August 10,1925.

My invention relates,.generally, to apparatus for storing and slicing objects and, particularly, toslicing apparatus in which the slicing is indexed and in which the sliced or the solid or the partly sliced object `is properlyI held in desired position and in which the slicing knife is constructed and supported for most ctlicient action.

The main object of my invention 1s an efiicientand economical culinary apparatus which is always ready for operation and is easy and convenient of operation and which retains either the solid object, or the-slices thereofor partly sliced, in position either duringor before or after the slicing operation. y

Another object of myinvention is a compact culinary apparatus which can readily be installed in existing or in new cabinets either permanently or removably. s

. Another object of my invention is a culinary apparatus in which the slicing knife is stored in the apparatus in an out of the way position when not in use but always ready and handy for instant use and is guided 1n such a. manner that theslicing is done evenly.

Other objects will appear during the description of the apparatus shown in the accompanying drawing.

The present invention is an improvement over myPatent No. 1,515,014, issued Nov. 11.1924, for slicing apparatus. AMy present invention is illustrated in the accompanying,drawing as applied to a bread storing and slicing means insertable into a bread container or cabinet. I am aware, howeverthat modifications may be made as to the application of my invention as well as to structural details and arrangement of elements within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the slicing apparatus only and embodying the features of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmental sectional view, taken cna vertical plane indicated by the line 2 in Fig. 4, and shows the slot to clear the front ofthe slicing knife with the. stop pin in the knife.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinally sectional perspective view of the slicing apparatus shown in. Fig. il, the section is taken on'a vertical.-

Serial No. 49,335.

plane and on the vertical axis of the apparatus. i

Fig. 4 is a transverse section, takeny on a vertical plane indicated by the line 4-4 in Fig. 3, and shows, in addition to the ,elements of Fig. 3, the case for the slicing apparatus and the slicing knife disposed vertically between the slicing apparatus and the rear wall of the case.

Fig. 5 isa fragmental view ofthe end of the slicing knife, on a larger scale, and

. shows the stop pin in the end of the knife.

Fig. Gis a perspective view of` a container having two compartments and the slicing apparatus and the case installed in the lower compartment; the door of the container being shown open to show the position of the slicing apparatus and the slicing knife is here shown disposed at an angle and the handle thereof projecting into the upper compartment.

Similar' reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the views.

The entire culinary apparatus shown in Fig. comprises, principally, the container A, the case B, and the slicing apparatus C.

Although the container A may be made of any standard or special formation it has, in the present instance, the upper or storage compartment 10 andthe lower or slicing compartment 11. The door 12 is provided on the front of the container A. I prefer to use one door as shown so that one opening of the door provides access to both of the compartments as well as to the slicing knife.

In the present instance, the case B is insertable into and removable from the compartment 11 and is retained in this compartment. by the flange 13 extending upward from the bottom of the container A. The top ofthe case B has the slot 14 for the pur.- pose appearing presently.

In the present instance, the slicing apparatus C comprises, principally, the table 15, the brackets 16 and 17,*and the guide 18 for the slicing knife 19.

The table 15 is composed of two pieces of materialk spaced apartv to form the slot 20, and each piece has the notches 21 vat each end of the slot 2O to widen the same for the purpose appearing presently.

In order to provide the necessary space for the mechanism on the bottom of the table 15, I provide the feet 22 at each` endet the table and cut the notch in these feet of the same width as the notches 2l and ol su'llicient depth to mount some of the indexing mechanism therein as will appear presently.

The brackets 1G and 17 may be made in duplicate, but, to carry out my invention, it is not necessary that cach of them have an indexing pawl.

Each of the brackets 16 and 17 has a strut like lock means and a. hook like lock means.

rlhe strut like lock means comprises the plate 211 secured to the bracket and the plate 25 hinged to the plate 24 and made sufficiently long to be disposed at an angle to the bracket when the bottoni edge of the plate contacts the top of the table l and when the bracket is in position on the table. The pla e 25 n'iay conveniently be slitted and some of the material thereof bent outward to form the handle 26 by means of which the plate 25 can more easily be raised or swiveled manually on the hinge joint and in relation to the bracket to raise the plate off of the table when desired. The lower edge ol the plate 25 automatically contacts the top of the table due to its own weight.

Instead of hinging the plate 25 to the plate 2a, both of these plates may be combined into one plate having the upper end thereof secured to the bracket and the lower end thereof free. In this instance, it is preferred that a certain amount of resiliency is provided in the plate so that the lower edge thereof automatically engages the top of the table when the same is not held off of the table manually.

The hook like lock means is formed of round wire having the legs 27 and 28 secured to the outer face of the bracket by means of the staples 29 and the toes 30 and 8l bent outwardly from the legs. The legs extend some distance below the bottom of the bracket and through the slot 2O of the table and the toes engage the underside of the table adjacent to the slots when brackets are in position on the table.

As seen in Fig. Ll, the legs 27 and 28 are spaced from the wall of the slot 2G, thereby permitting the bracket Vto swivel axially on the table without binding and thereby adjust itself to uneven ends ef the object held by the brackets.

In the present instance, the bracket 1G is provided with the index pawl 32 secured to the underside of the bracket as seen in Fig. 3. The niwl means 32 is of known construction and has the i shaped member 33 floatingly and rcsiliently mounted therein so that the member 33 normally projects through the pawl means but can be pushed into the pawl means.

The rack support 34; extends between the feet 22 and the ends thereof are secured in the notches 23 of the feet 22. The rack inV the present instance olI commercial con rlngatml material. is secured to the top of the support lll- The rack is so spaced, vertically, from the top of the table and from the bottom of the brackets that the pawl inember rests in the hollow of the corrugations of the rack 35 when the same is ner- .inally projecting through the pawl means This pawl and rack means constitutes the indexing means to slice an object so that all slices are of even thickness.

Each of the brackets 16 and 17 fornis an independent unit which may be placed on or renlored from the table at will, for the luirpose of cleaning or otlierwisc. lach of the ln'ackcls can readily be placed on the table by inseting the toes 30 and 3l ol thc hook like lock means through the notches 2l at the end of the slot 2() and then slidingI` the bracket along` the top of the table to desired position. The brackets can rcaiflily he removed from the table by manually raising the plate oil of the table and sliding the bracket to the end of thc table so that the toes and 31 clear in the notches 21and then raising the bracket rip-- wa 'd and olf of the table.

ln the present instance, the guide 1S is formed of two strips of material bent lU shaped and having the open ends of the tl secured to the side edges of the table and extending upward from the table as an inverted tl and spaced apart to form the slot 36 wherein the blade of the knife 19 is O'uided while the knife is in operation.

The slicing knife 19 may be of any suitable formation. t is preferred, however, that the knife has a handle held to the blade in operative position by the pins 37 but adapted to telescope over the blade so that the knife may be shortened for purpose of storing the saine when not in use and when the storage space for the knife is limited. instead of the telcscoping handle indicated, the usual jack knife structure may also he employed to good adif'antage.

The outer end of the blade of the knife 1S) is provided with the stop pin 38 extending pre'l'orably, from each side of the blade as shown in Figs. 2 and 5. rthe slot 36 is sulliciently wide to permit the blade to pass through and to retain the same in a vertical position but does not permit the projecting portions of the stop pin to pass through it.

In instances where the top of the guide 1S is spaced from the top of the case l, as shown in Fig. 4, the knife 19 is inserted into the space 39 between the top of the guide 18 and the top of the case B and is moved backward until the pin 38 is beyond the rear leg of the guide whereupon the knife can be moved downward with the blade in the slot 36 and operated as desired either see-sawing hack and forth or straight or obliquely downicc lll)

neameaa Warder `in Aany other desiredv manner. yIn either operation,v the1bladeof.the knifeis guided and retained in afvertical position and cuts or slices-` the l obj ect" straight;

I prefer to provide the notches4() `in both legs ofthe guide 18 and make these notches sufficiently deep to permitthe'pin 38 topass through andithereby provide a ready means to insert the knife particularly When the top of the guide 18 contacts or is close to the top ofthe caseB. The notches 40 are provided near thenpper endof the legs so that the stoppin effectively limitsthe' forward moveV ment' of the knife Whenithe same is in operation.`

The slicing apparatus C is made in one unit and may be inserted into the case B or into any other case or container.

Vhen the slicing apparatus is intended for the case B, the table: maybe made sufficiently long to abut the inside` of the ends of the case to prevent longitudinal movement of the table in thecase andthe guide `18 is so placed on the table that the slot36 is in alignment'With the slotf14 inthe topiof the case so that the blade of the knife can operate in thelslot 36and can be'l moved up into the slot 14 and outof the Way when notin operation. When the knife is in this inoperativefposition, the handle thereof may conveniently rest on thetop of and outside of theV case to-retain the knifein thatl position and the blade of' theknife may extend downv angularly `into tliecase as seen in Fig. 6, or may extend straight down inthe back of the slicing apparatus as seen in Fig. .4.

Iprefer to provide the table` 15=With the guide 41 extending longitudinally on the rear sideof the table andprojecting a short distance above the top of the table to guidev one'side of the object which is to be sliced.'

iVhen the slicing apparatus isinstalled .in a casein Which there is insufficient room b'etween the l-reariofthe slicing apparatus and the'rear Wall of the caseto permit the knife to operatewvith suticient stroke, I- prefer to A provide the slot 42 in therear` Wallk of the case in alignment with the slots 14 and 36 andmake this-slot sufficiently Wide to permit the pin 38 to pass through it freely as seen in Fig. 2. Vhen the knife is not in operation, the blade thereofneeds not'ext'end tln'oughthe slot 42 and, therefore, does not interferewiththe handling of the case.

In order to make the case B as'air tight as possible, I prefer to use the material which would otherwise becut` out to provide the slot 42 and form the Walls 43 therewith by bending them outward as seenin Fig. 2 to form a sort of housing around the slot 42 which housing is open at the outer end. Vhenthis apparatus is in use, it can be moved so that the blade ofthe knife can opcrate through the slot 42 and Whenthis ap# paratus is not in use, the same can be moved backiinto the container' A or-other'container or other wall so that the end ofthe Wall 43 abuts'the contacting wall andtherebyeffectively closes the slot 42. y

As to operation :-The bracket-s 16 andll? are placed on the table 15 as previously mentionedi `.The object D is placed on the tablein such va position that theplace yof the objectwhere the slicingis to beginis oppo-l site the spot 36. The bracket 16 is then movedA along on the table until'it abuts one end off the object. rPhe bracket 17 may. also be moved" along onthetop of the tableif desired until it abuts the otherend of theV object to retain the slices in position after the slicing operation has begun.

The knife 19 is then brought down from its inoperative position with the blade thereof vertical inzthe slot 36and is `then moved back and forth or `otherwise to cuta slice ottof the object.v Then thefknife isunoved forward to its full extent', the pin 38.abuts the rear offthe i guide 18 and thereby prevents the blade from leaving the cut.

, After one `slice is cut off' of the object, the knife is moved upwardout-l of the cut and the bracket 16'is thenfmoved manuallyL along on the top of the tableftoward. thebracket 17 and thereby also pushes the object along on the tableto the nextslicingposition.

Whenthe bracket 16 issomoved along onwthe table, theV resilient p awl member 33 operatesover the rack andi engages the corrugations` thereof. Since thebracket 16 is manually moved along oni the table, `the operatorvcaneasily feehwhen the member 33 movesinto a` depressioniin the rackfand can therebyA index; the object on thev table either one or more notches as. desired.

then the bracket `1G is moved' int'o any position on the table the loweredgeof the plate^25 automatically engages the top' of the table. due to gravity and thereby locks thebracket in that position on the table. The bracket 17 islockedlikewise.

Vhen either ofthe brackets isi-moved towardthe other, the'loweredge'oft-he plate 25 automaticallyreleased from the -top of the table and the bracket can be moved readily.

Vhen either of the brackets is moved away fromthe other, the lower edge of the plate 25 is raised manually by means of vthe'handle 26 to release t-he lock whereupon the bracket' canbe movedalong on the table'l in either direction.

/Vhen the object D is being-moved along onthe tabla-the plate 25'onfthe bracket 1T can be swungup vverticallyl andfout ofthe way sothat it need not be manipulated when the object isindexedg.bymeans ofthe bracket 16.

The bracket 17 needs notA abutzthe object D during l the slicing-,operation except when it is desired to retain the slices in position.

It is ot ad fantage, however, particularly i'or storage purposes, to move the bracket 17 up against the end of the object to keep the slices together to prevent the drying out thereoi' or to cover a previously eut surface on. the end o the object.

The container A and the case B, and the slicing apparatus C ot the apparatus shown and described are each made as separate units so that the apparatus C can be -installed in the case B or in any other case or container and so that the case Il with the apparatus C therein can be installed in the container A or in any other container or apparatus.

In the present instance, the container A has the compartment l() for storage purposes and the con'ipartment It for the slicing apparatus. IVhen the slicing apparatus C and the case B are placed in the compartment 11, the handle ot' the knife 19 rests on the top of the partition Wall between the two compartmentsand projects up into the compartment l0. In this inst-ance, the partition is provided with the slot la similar to and in alignment with the slot 1.4 in the top of the case B to permit the blade of the knife to project therethrough.

l. An apparatus of the character described including, a table to support an object, a bracket attachable to and removable from said table and adapted to be moved on said table to abut one end of the object, a bracket attachable to and removable from said table and adapted to be moved on said table to abut the other end of the object,

and each of said brackets provided with means to automatically engage said table and thereby lock the bracket in the position it is moved to.

2, An apparatus of the character described including, a table to support an object, a bracket movable on said table to abut one end ot the object, a bracket movable on said table to abut the other end ot the object, each ot said brackets provided with means to automatically lock the bracket in the position it is moved to, and means t'or indexing at least one ot said brackets on said table.

3. An apparatus oit the character described including, means to support an oh ject. means 'tor slicingthe object, a, pair oit lin-ackcts movable toward each other to abut the object, each ot said brackets provided with a lock means depending angularly from the bracket and having a tree end adapted to automatically lock the bracket in the position it is moved to and to automatically release the bracket when the same is being moved toward the other of said brackets, and a handle on said lock means Jfor manlially releasing the same to permit the brackn ets to be moved away from eifach other 4t. An apparatus of the character described including, a table to support an object, a bracket movable on said table and toward the object, and a lock plate normally disposed at an angle to said bracket and having lone end thereof hinged to said bracket and the other end thereof free and adapted to engage said table and thereby lock said bracket against movement away trom the object.

5. An apparatus ot the character described including, a table to support an object, a pair oil brackets slidable toward each other on said table to abut the object, each ot said brackets swivelable on said table to individually adjust themselves to the ends oit' the object, and a strut hinged to each ot said brackets and having a free end normally holding said brackets against movement a ay from the object.

6. An apparatus of the character described including, a table to support an object, a pair oi brackets movable toward each other on said table to abut the object, each of said brackets swivelable on said table to individually adjust themselves to the 0bject, each ot' said brackets provided with a lock means depending angularly from the bracket and having a free end thereof adaptcd to automatically engage said table and thereby lock the bracket in the position it is moved to and to automatically disengage said table and thereby release the bracket when the same is being moved toward the other ot said brackets, and a handle on said lock means for manually releasing the same to permit said brackets to be moved away from each other.

7. An apparatus of the character described including, a table to support an object, a pair ot brackets movable toward each other on said table to abut the object, each oic said brackets sivivelable on said table to individually adjust themselves to the object, each of said brackets provided with a lock means depending angularly 'from the bracket and having a free end thereof adapted to automatically engage said table and thereby lock the bracket in the position it is moved to and to automatically disengage said table and hereby release the bracket when the same is being moved toward the other of said brackets, a handle on said lock, means for manually releasing the same to permit said brackets to be moved away from each other, and indexing mechanism between said table and one oi said brackets.

8. An apparatus of the character described including, a table, a pair ot brackets movable longitudinally and swivelable axially on said table, means on each of said brackets to retain the same on said table in operative positions intermediate the ends of said table, and means on each. end of said table to release said means on the brackets and thereby permit the brackets to be attached to and removed from said table.

9. In a culinary apparatus, a case having a slot in the top wall thereof to permit the blade of a slicing knife to be inserted through the top of said case and extended into and moved into the interior of said case, a slicing device adapted to be positioned in said case and having a guide slot for the slicing knife in alignment With the iirst mentioned slot, when so positioned, said slicing device being located in the front of said case when so positioned so as to provide a space between said rear wall andA said slicing device to permit the slicing knife to be stored between said rear Wall and said device with the handle thereof extending above said top wall.

10. In a culinary apparatus, a. container, a partition in said container dividing the same into two compartments and having a slot, a slicing device made as an individual unit and having a guide for the blade of a slicing knife, said slicing device insertable into and removable from one of said compartments and when so inserted confined therein lengthwise to align said guide with said slot when said device is inserted into this one compartment, and said slot and said guide being sufficiently narrow to retain the handle of the knife in the other of said compartments. u

CHARLES F. DOWNS. 

